By Adi Angyu
The Bauchi State Accountability Mechanism on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (BaSAM) has appealed to Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar to create a dedicated Routine Immunization (RI) budget code
in the state’s health budget, to enable easy tracking and accountability.
The Co-Chair of BaSAM, Hajiya Maryam Garba, made the appeal in Bauchi during a one-day meeting organized by Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR) with support from Partnership for Advocacy in Child
and Family Health (PACFaH), on the state RI budget scorecard from January to June 2016.
She commended the state for taking into cognizance the annual funding needs for RI by releasing 75 per cent funding in line with government’s projections and agreements signed with development partners.
Hajiya Maryam stated that out of the six northern states of Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno and Sokoto that entered into the quadripartite agreement on routine immunization, three have already created budget code for routine immunization.
The BaSAM Co-Chair called on the governor to tow the path of his counterparts in Kaduna, Kano and Sokoto who have created the budget code for RI in their respective states budget.
She further called on the state Ministry of Finance to adhere and imbibe the culture of timeliness for the release of immunization funds, as well as funds released at any giving time in comparison to total funds appropriated.
